Teacher Evaluations

There are many ways that schools and districts evaluate teachers. My school does formal teacher evaluations twice a year for new teachers, and there are several informal observations throughout the year.  The two methods I will be looking at are centered around test scores, but as David (2010) suggests, “end-of-year test scores do not show how much students learned that year in that class.” So let’s take a look at those teacher evaluation methods.  

Value Added Measures

This strategy compares students’ current scores with past scores. The Edglossary Website (2013) describes value-added measures as a method “used to estimate or quantify how much of a positive (or negative) effect individual teachers have on student learning during the course of a given school year.” The Edglossary Website (2013) goes on to say “value-added measures typically use sophisticated statistical algorithms and standardized-test results, combined with other information about students, to determine a value-added score for a teacher.” In other words, students’ current and past test scores are taken into account to determine how well teachers are teaching their students.

The Good

This is good because it takes continuous changes into account, rather than one single change.  Hull (2013) says this method recognizes that “not all students are likely to make the same growth from year to year.”  The teacher can work to improve student scores from prior months and years to show that the student is learning. In addition, the teacher is aware of the measures they must beat in order to receive a good evaluation.

The Not-So-Good 

Some students freeze up on tests, so any sort of evaluation that relies too heavily on test results might not be the best measure of student capability. It doesn’t take enough pieces of teaching life into account, and so it may not be an accurate measurement of student learning and knowledge. It also doesn’t take into account student learning disabilities and language barriers that may cause students to do poorly.

Student Growth Percentiles

The Edglossary Website (2013) says that student-growth measures “compare the relative change in a student’s performance on a specific test with the performance of all other students on that same test.” In other words, a student’s growth is measured against each other student’s growth to see where they rank on the scale of most to least proficient.

The Good

I agree with Hull (2013), who says this method is “more accurate at evaluating teachers than student test scores, which capture performance at one point in time.”

The Not-So-Good

Testing should not be used solely, or even heavily, in a teacher evaluation. Not only do some students test poorly, there are other students who test well. They can study the night before, pass the test well, and then remember nothing of the material they learned. This is another good reason why this measure isn’t great. Students are all different, with different needs, likes, and ideas. Any evaluation method that measures student scores against each other on a standardized test won’t take those differences into account.

My opinion

There are several things I think that administrators should take into account during an evaluation, and in different percentages.

30% - Standardized tests – The changes in test scores should only comprise 30% of a teacher’s evaluation because, as I mentioned above, there are many reasons why a student’s score might be accurately reflected on standardized tests. For example, some students are very good at testing logic and guessing, but may not understand the concepts they are expected to know.

10% - Essay – I believe that Essay questions or knowledge reports should account for 10% because they allow students to show accurate knowledge, and are far more accurate than multiple choice standardized tests.

30% Random samples of class work – Random samples of work done by students can truly illustrate student learning, so if these samples account for roughly 1/3 of the teacher’s evaluation, it would help administrators understand what the class really knows and what sort of work they really do on a day-to-day basis.

30% Classroom evaluations and lesson plans – There should be several evaluations, both formal and informal, and along with the teacher’s lesson plans, these should account for the remaining 30% of a teacher’s evaluation.

I think this would give a well-rounded view of what teachers are teaching and how much of it students are learning and internalizing.  

Resources

David, J., (2010). What Research Says About… / Using Value-Added Measures to Evaluate Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may10/vol67/num08/Using_Value-Added_Measures_to_Evaluate_Teachers.aspx

Diaz-Bilello, E., & Briggs, D., C., (July 2014). Using Student Growth Percentiles for Educator Evaluations at the Teacher Level: Key Issues and Technical Considerations for School Districts in Colorado. Retrieved from https://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/usingstudentgrowthpercentilesforee

Edglossary Website, (Aug 29, 2013). VALUE-ADDED MEASURES. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/value-added-measures/

Hull, J., (Oct, 2013) Trends In Teacher Evaluation: How states are measuring teacher performance. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Evaluating-performance/Trends-in-Teacher-Evaluation-At-A-Glance/Trends-in-Teacher-Evaluation-Full-Report-PDF.pdf

Strategies for Differentiation with Pre-Assessment

Strategies for Differentiation with Pre-Assessment


I've been thinking a lot about assessments lately and how I can use them to help my students.
There are so many kinds of assessments, but the one I want to talk about today is the pre-assessment and what we, as teachers, can do with it.
My standard is related to students finding information in multiple texts quickly and accurately. In preparation, I created a pretest for my upcoming unit. If you look below, you can see the screencap of some of my questions, which focus mostly on the tools I want to share with the students; close reading, skimming, and scanning.

Want to test your knowledge? Take my quiz.

I have the assessment to help me know who gets it and who doesn't. Now what do I do with the information? Well, I've got a plan...

 Above is a mind map with my plans for the pre-assessment information. There are 3 types of students I'm primarily thinking about (the ones who got most to all answers correct, the ones who got many correct, and those who got few to no answers correct), and below I'm going to talk about what I plan to do to help them. *Note: the extension strategies in this differentiation will require me to create an app where students can create or find articles on the same subject, then close read them to find answers to questions.*

The students who answered most questions correctly.

These students need to extend their knowledge into deeper depths of knowledge. I will pair these students with students who have limited knowledge or learning issues. This pairing will enhance that student's thinking because they will have to use the knowledge they have gained in new ways if they want to accurately explain and model their thinking. In addition to this, students will be asked to consider another story they have read with similar information and compare and contrast the two. The students will then be asked to use the app to create two articles about the same subject and present them to the class to be close read as a small or whole group. These extended activities, as well as discussions with their partner, will work as formative assessments and self assessments that the student and I can use to assess their learning.

The students who have some knowledge

These students really need practice to solidify the knowledge they already have. I will give them practice close reading, scanning, and skimming. Then students will be paired within the group to discuss how they felt these techniques might help them find answers. To extend their learning even more, I will then ask them to use the app to find their own articles (two or more articles on the same subject) and close read them in pairs, then show the group how close reading helped them find the answers. These differentiations should help these students get more practice with the skills I'm trying to teach, and, in addition, it should help them explore and explain their understanding of those skills.

The students who appear to have limited knowledge 

These students will not only be students who have never encountered the standards, but also ELL and special needs students as well. For these students, I will take some time to model the strategies we will be using. These students will then be paired with a student who understands the standard. In addition, I will give the student a bookmark that can remind them of the rules of close reading, skimming, and scanning. To extend their knowledge, I will have them use the app to close read articles, skim, and scan, then have their choices evaluated. These activities will give the students multiple chances to learn the teacher and student modeled skills, it will allow them a constant reminder of how to complete the skill, and it will allow them to practice in a way that will give them immediate feedback.

What do you think about my pre-assessment and the identified strategies for differentiation? Do you use pre-assessments? How do you feel about them?

High Stakes Testing in Schools

I’ve been talking to other teachers about high stakes testing and how they feel it affects our school and our classes. I’ll share the questions I asked and the answers I gave. Feel free to share your point of view below.

The interview.

How much time is spent in testing?

We have a total of 4 tests, 3 that the district uses for assessment and one that the state uses.

How does the school use high stakes assessments?

They are used to see how students are progressing, assess how teachers are improving, and how schools rank in the district as a whole.

Are teachers teaching to the test?

Teachers are not encouraged or expected to teach to the test. It’s more important that the students get a quality education, however, the test is heavily considered in deciding how to teach students.

Are rewards or bonuses given to teachers whose students score high?

No. Teachers are encouraged to do their best, but there are no incentives for great scores.

Are students required to pass the test to move to the next grade or graduate?

Only the state test can affect if students graduate. If a third grade student does not pass the state exam, they are not allowed to graduate to fourth grade.

How are students handling increasing pressures to perform?

Students either find the assessment weeks stressful or they believe it’s unimportant. 

Are test scores used for teacher evaluations?

Yes, teachers are considered developing, effective, or highly effective depending on average student scores.

Other schools-

Other schools vary on how they motivate for and use high stakes assessments.  One teacher I spoke with said that there is a lot of pressure from testing in her school. Teachers are pressured because their class scores are scrutinized. There is pressure for students to perform as well. Students feel the stress of the teachers and are incentivized by free time and movies for good performance. Low students can often become depressed because they feel like they can’t possibly perform well enough. In addition, she suggested that teachers are almost forced to teach to the test to ensure that their proficiency rate is adequate.

My thoughts.

The Good

The tests do what they were meant to do… help with data collection. These tests measure students’ progress on standards for teachers and parents to see. These results can be brought up and studied throughout the years and patterns and growth can be assessed from them.  

The Bad

I really feel as if standardized tests, especially high stakes tests, are more harmful than helpful in many situations. Mitchell (2006) says “counselors thought their state's high-stakes testing increased stress in teachers, students, and themselves.” Students are stressed by the tests. The high pressure setting can make certain students underperform and seem as if they do not understand the standards they have learned. Students with disabilities, as well as students with alternate learning styles, are often unable to perform to the high standards of the test. This can be extremely stressful for them, as well as their teachers, who are often judged heavily on class-wide performance on these high stakes tests.

Mitchell (2006) also mentions that “critics of high-stakes testing generally report four negative classroom effects produced by testing… narrowing the curriculum…excluding topics not tested…reducing learning to the memorization of facts, (and) devoting too much classroom time to test preparation.” Teachers are almost made to teach to the test. Such importance is placed on getting good results during testing periods that teachers are forced to focus on tests, sometimes to the exclusion of other necessary learning. Because of this, students might not have a well-rounded class experience and learning may suffer.

And The Conclusion

From what I observed at my school, and what was confirmed from the teacher in the other district, these tests can be far more stressful than needed. While they have benefits, I believe those benefits could be maximized by removing some of the high stakes elements and giving students and teachers the ability, hand-in-hand and through multiple forms of assessment, to give a more accurate view of a student’s overall knowledge and learning.

References - 

Mitchell, R. (Feb. 10, 2006) High-stakes testing and effects on instruction: Research review. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Instruction/High-stakes-testing-and-effects-on-instruction-At-a-glance/High-stakes-testing-and-effects-on-instruction-Research-review.html

What’s your opinion? Are you fer high stakes testin’, or agin’ it? :D